Grate for gaseous fuel



'(No Model.

0. G. ELWOOD.

GRATE FOR GASEOUS FUEL.

Patented Oct. 21, 1890.

THE annals Parana cu, #Hdrcqnuc wAsmNm'ou, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT ,QFFICE.

CAMPBELL G. ELWVOOD, OF ALLEGHENY, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO STEPHEN J.ADAMS AND MICHAEL R. HAYMAKER, BOTH OF PITTS- BURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

GRATE FOR GASEOUS FUEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,749, dated October21, 1890.

7 Application filed January 6, 1890.

To aZZ whom it 'mwy concern.-

Be it known that I, CAMPBELL G. ELWoon, a resident of Allegheny, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Grates for Gaseous Fuel; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to grates for burning gaseous fuel, its primeobject being to provide a grate in which a thorough combustion of thegas takes place, and one in which the maximum degree of heat is givenforth for the amount of gas consumed. It has the further-object ofovercoming the hissing or buzzing noise which almost invariablyaccompanies the burning of gaseous fuel in open fireplaces.

' To these ends my invention comprises, generally stated, a grate forburning gaseous fuel, having a mixing-chamber in the rear of andextending above the burner proper,where the combustion of the gas takesplace.

It further comprises a long gas -feeding chamber situated within the1nixing-cham ber, said chamber being connected with the gas-supply pipeand having openings leading from said chamber to the mixing-chamber, andsaid mixing chamber having air ports or entrances at the sides of saidgasfeeding chamber, whereby a full supply of air to support combustionis mixed with the gas, and both gas and air may be heated before theburning thereof.

It also consists in certain improvements which tend to reflect the heattoward the floor of the apartment, whence it may arise and morethoroughly circulate throughout the apartment, all of which will be morefully hereinafter set forth and claimed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willdescribe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a vertical side section of a grate constructedaccording to my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the burner.

Like letters indicate like parts in each.

Serial No. 335,979. (No model.)

gas-tight connection with a cap d, formed at the mid-point under thelong narrow chamber d within the body of the burner. This gas-chamber dis preferably cast integral with the base-plate e of the burner, andarranged at suitable intervals along the top thereof are the jets oropenings d these jets being so small as to require the gas to beinjected into the mixing-chamber at considerable speed, and thereby drawin a sufficient body of air and cause the proper mixing of gas and air.Air-inlets f are formed in the base-plate 6 close to the outside of thewalls of the gas-chamber d, said inlets being arranged at suitableintervals apart along the entire length of the said gas-chamber cl andon both sides thereof.

In order to prevent the gas from passing directly to the point ofcombustion, as will more fully appear, a vertical deflecting-wall g iserected at the rear of the base-plate e at apoint just in front of thefirst row of air-inlets f. As will be observed by the drawings, theburner is illustrated as formed in two parts-the base-plate e and theparts formed thereon and the cover or top piece 72. This cover or toppiece h is adapted to fit neatly within the flanges e at the front andrear of the base-plate c, and has at the rear thereof the elevatedportion h, which when in position on the base-plate e forms themixing-chamber i, with the deflecting-wall g therein extending almost tothe top of said chamber.

The upper part of the burner may, if desired, be formed of tile orfire-clay or other such refractory material. The lower front portion 71of said cover 71 forms the combustion-chamber j and has therein theopenings j, where the gas is ignited, this forming the burner proper. Toallow the air to circulate freely beneath the base-plate c and enterthrough the inlets f into the mixing-chamber a, the said base-plate issupported by the basebars k of the ordinary grate, supported in thecustomary way within the fireplace, and the burner, as it extends overthe greater part of the base of the grate-basket, prevents a strongdraft upwardly through the grate. Upon the elevated portion h of the toppiece it (that is, above the mixing-chamber i) rests the curved orforwardly-inclined tile or plate Z, said plate being constructed oftiling, brass, or other heat-radiating material, and having its facesufiiciently curved to throw the heat down toward the floor of theapartment. It will be noticed that this tile extends forward from apoint below the top of the grate over the burner almost to the front ofthe grate. It thus acts not only to deflect the heat, but also tofurther prevent the formation of a draft and the carrying of the heat upthe flue. Upon the plate Z, I place the back reflector m, which inclinesforward slightly, serving thereby both to reflect the rays of heat outinto the apartment and to diminish the width of the chimney-flue, inordertoprevent too strong a draft, which would draw the heat up thechimney and prevent the thorough combustion of the gas. The reflector onmaybe constructed of glazed tiling, brass, glass, or other goodheat-reflecting material, and it is secured in place by any suitablemeans. The body of broken fire-brick n or other refractory substance tobe raised to incandesccnce by the burning gas is supported upon thecrosspieces 0, the rear ends of said cross-pieces resting upon the ledge19, cast on the elevated portion h of the top piece h, the front endsresting upon the horizontal bar a", and to strengthen their positionthey also rest upon the bar 3, which may have seats formed therein forthe cross-pieces o to rest in and prevent the lateral movement of thesame.

To illustrate the practical operation of my improved grate, the gas isfirst turned on by a suitable valve situated in the floor of theapartment, when said gas will enter the long gas-chamber d and escapethrough the openings 01 into the mixing-chamber 'i, where the gas willbe thoroughly mixed with the air entering the said mixing-chamberthrough the inlets f. As the inlets f extend the entire length of thegas-chamber d and on both sides thereof, all the gas entering themixingchamber will be met by a current of air on both sides, and asthere is a full opportunity for the entrance of the air, which can flowinto the mixing-chamber without any rushing or rapid movement, there isno hissing or buzzing noise created, the burner being practicallynoiseless. The deflecting-Wall g acts to prevent the intermingled gasand air from passing directly to the point of combustion and'directs itup to the top of the mixingchamber, whence it may escape over the top ofthe deflecting-wall g and down the other side thereof to thecombustion-chamber and through the openings j, where it is ignited. Atthe same time, as the portion of the burner containing thismixing-chamber extends upwardly back of the point where combustion takesplace, the mixed gas and air will necessarilybe heated in passingthrough such mixing-chamber and the perfect burning thereof insured. Theflames arising from the openings j will gradually heat the blocks offirebrick or other refractory material supported by the bars 19 andraise them to incandescence, emitting an intense heat. To further assistin throwing out the heat is the object of the curved tile or plate Z,which, owing to its forwardly -inclined surface, and as it isconstructed of good heat-radiating material, reflects the heat downtoward the floor of the apartment, whence it may raise the atmosphere ofthe said apartment. Any heat escaping above the curved tile Z is actedon by the back reflector m, and by-the glazed or polished surfacethereof is reflected into the apartment, while the light from theincandescent fire-brick in playing over the reflector adds greatly tothe appearance of the grate. By this mode of construction I obtain notonly a grate in which the gaseous fuel is perfectly consumed, but one inwhich practically none of the heat is allowed to escape up thechimney-flue.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. A grate for burning gaseous fuel, having a mixingchamber at the rearof and extending above the burner proper, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

2. A grate for burning gaseous fuel, having a mixing-chamber in the rearof and extend ing above the burner proper, anda long gasfeeding chamberconnected with the supplypipe, said gas-feedingchamber situated withinand communicating with the said mixingchamber, substantially as and forthe purposes set forth.

A grate for burning gaseous fuel, having a mixing-chamber at the rear ofand extending above the burner proper, a longitudinallyextendinggasfeeding chamber with which the gas-supply pipe communicates directly,said chamber being supplied with a series of openings, and a series ofair-inlets at the sides of said gas-feeding chamber, substantially asand for the purposes set forth.

4. A grate for burning gaseous fuel, having a mixing-chamber at the rearof and extending above the burner proper, a deflecting-wall extendingpart way up within said mixingchamber, and a gas-feeding chamber back ofsaid wall, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. A grate for burning gaseous fuel, having a mixing-chamber at the rearof and extending above the burner proper, and a curved tile resting uponthe top of said chamber, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

6. In a grate for burning gaseous fuel, the combination of agrate-basket, a burner resting therein, and a tile extending from apoint back of the burner and below the top of the grate-basket in aforward incline to a point near the top of the grate-basket,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. In a grate for burning gaseous fuel, the combination of agrate-basket, a burner resting therein, a tile extending from a pointback of the burner and below the top of the grate in a forward inclineto a point near the top of the grate, and a reflector resting upon said

